2001 Suduiraut, Sauternes

From a half bottle. Now a little over two decades old, this wine presents a richly burnished orange gold hue in the glass. There is great expression on the nose, rich in sweet complexity, with flavours of caramelised orange, praline and buttered toast, with more distinctive notes of roasted coffee bean and biscuit. There is a slightly high-toned edge to it, but the overarching impression here is enticing and fine. This would seem to be confirmed by the beautifully seductive palate, which is brimming with toasted notes of high-toned orange, praline and biscuit. This is absolutely delicious, a quite seductive composition for its age, yet it has the requisite grip and tension beneath. Long, textural, energetic and charged, a quite remarkable wine. It has decades in it yet; drink or hold as you see fit.